Małgorzata Szmajdzińska: The Polish state has forgotten about Jerzy Szmajdziński

The widow of Jerzy Szmajdziński is resentful toward the current government for failing to remember her husband, who died in the Smolensk disaster. “We celebrated the 10th anniversary of the F-16s’ presence in Poland. No one invited me to the ceremony. And no one said a word about the man thanks to whom the F-16 is in Polish skies. I sat in front of the television and cried,” M. Szmajdzińska said in Bolesławiec.

A plaque commemorating Jerzy Szmajdziński was unveiled on Tuesday in Bolesławiec. Among those attending the ceremony were former President of the Republic of Poland Aleksander Kwaśniewski and Jerzy Szmajdziński’s widow, Małgorzata Sekuła-Szmajdzińska. The plaque was unveiled on the wall of a building on Opitza Street (the SLD headquarters).

The most moving moment before the unveiling of the plaque was Małgorzata Sekuła-Szmajdzińska’s speech. She thanked the residents of Bolesławiec for remembering her late husband, unlike the Polish state, which, as she said, had forgotten him. As she thanked the people of Bolesławiec, she could not hide her emotion and tears.

“The Polish state has forgotten. We celebrated the 10th anniversary of the F-16s’ presence in Polish skies. There were ceremonies in Krzesiny near Poznań attended by state authorities, including the president. No one invited me to that ceremony. And no one said a word about the man thanks to whom the F-16 is in Polish skies. After all, these efforts were undertaken when my Juruś was Minister of National Defence. They did not get there by themselves. And my husband died in that disaster; not a word was said about him. And I sat in front of the television and cried. Because my country had forgotten him. […] I am saying this so that you understand how important our homeland is, how we must remember everything, how important history is, and how we cannot allow it to be rebuilt from scratch. We must pass the truth on to younger generations,” said Małgorzata Sekuła-Szmajdzińska.

It is worth recalling that Jerzy Szmajdziński often visited Bolesławiec. Thanks to his efforts, the Bolesławiec military unit was not disbanded, and F-16 aircraft were brought to Poland.

Aleksander Kwaśniewski, meanwhile, warned against a policy of further setting society against itself, which would have tragic consequences. He also encouraged people to participate in local elections. Among other things, Bolesławiec Mayor Piotr Roman thanked Aleksander Kwaśniewski for bringing Poland into the European Union.

Representatives of local authorities, the military, schools and institutions, as well as Bolesławiec residents, attended the ceremony.